Hi,

I'm looking into getting a wireless setup with my empeg in the car for use at home and work. I've seen the Apple Airport in the Merc demonstrator and wonder whether their are other people around that have a wireless setup. I would really like to know how it merges in any existing network, how you use it and how it supports future wireless addons.

Is Bluetooth an alternative?

Thanks!

Wireless with the ethernet bridge (or whatever one calls this box) from Lucent. Just for fun though since I still haven't installed my empeg and can just as easily cable it.

Bluetooth, an option, depends on what you want to do I guess, the range on it however is quite limited though I suppose at some point you will be able to use it to interface (on a data level) with cell phones, pda's and laptops and such more. To be honest, I got a bluetooth card from 3Com several months ago and up to now have still not found much use for it.

Cheers,
Hans

Hi,

I use wireless at home mainly for internet for my laptop. I have a Xircom PCMCIA card and a Cisco AP340 base station. This all works very well as I have a wired port on my empeg cage at home connected to my hub. So empeg synching and selecting of playlists at parties is cool from the laptop.

I just got an Intel 2011 wireless Access Point for the car (only one I found using 12V supply), made a 12V regulator circuit out of some parts at work and this too works well. I can get to the empeg in the office (when I leave it in the car) and at home when it is in the garage.

The only problem is that I can't get the intel AP to associate with the Cisco AP and because of the metal garage door, the range is not so good from house to car. I would like to get the intel to associate with the Cisco so that the whole house is covered when the empeg is in the car.

The only problem is that I can't get the intel AP to associate with the Cisco AP

This is the root of almost all problems getting in-car empeg 802.11b working. Getting two access points to talk to each other. As I understand it, there are ways to configure the AP's to do this, but I don't know how. I think it's different for each brand of AP.

some AP's can't do it at all, most of the lucent AP's do not work in client mode. the cisco has some kind of client mode, but I don't remember the specifics. i think it's called "wireless extention" mode

I am happily doing wireless, using Lucent / Orinoco / IBM kit. Orinoco access point is in the house, in the car is a box called an Ethernet converter, into this box you insert a wireless PCMCIA card ( I have tested IBM and Orinoco ones ), a patch cable joins the box to the Empeg sled. The box needs 5v power supply. You should find the kit pretty easy on the wavelan.com site. The clever bit is the Ethernet Converter.

I could do with another Ethernet Converter, but they are a little expensive, do post if you find them cheap anywhere.

How expensive are they(ethernet converter), I cant find one anywhere. Which Orinoco access point are you using? This seems like a much better idea than installing the access point in the car. How good is the range you are getting with the AP?

Sean

I think the linksys ap will work in client mode. It also allows bridging. Pretty cool for such a cheap ap.

Sean

The Cisco one can run in 3 configs, AP/Root, AP/Non Root or Client non Root. I can get it to Associate with the Intel AP no problem but I can't seem to get the Intel to work in the same way when configured the other way round.

The main reason for using the Intel in the car is the 12V supply. Most of the stuff we make has 12V regulators in so it is easy and free to put the Intel in the car. The Cisco is 5V, not a major problem to do a 5V reg but why should I ??

If I didn't have any problems, what would I do to pass the time.

Careful with this; car 12v is not nice and clean. You will get things like -200v transients when the ignition goes off, and very lumpy power at times.

At the very least, put an in-line diode to protect against reverse voltage transients; ideally, also put a surge supressor after this diode.

Hugo

Do you use a range extending antennae?

Also, is there anything a non electrical engineering guy could do to bring 12VDC down to 5VDC?

g

Thanks for the advice but don't worry, this is the whole reason for wanting a 12V solution. We make some stuff here which contains 12V car voltage cleaning things in them, this is what I am using.

The Ethernet Converter is 158ukp and can be found from several UK web sites like this one. It appears the same price on all the UK web sites I found last year when I purchased mine. You will also need a PCMCIA Wireless card to put in it, you should be looking to pay around 100ukp for a card. I initially went for the Lucent Orinoco RG-1000 Startup kit, containing Lucent Orinoco RG-1000 Access point and a PCMCIA Card, then bought more PCMCIA cards as required. Just over 300ukp for the startup kit. I really cannot understand why people are putting AP's in the car. The ethernet converter fits behind my dash. The same kit works fine with my Rio Recievers in the house too. Range is find around the house and out to the car on the driveway, but guess YMMV based on what sort of construction / size of house you are in.

No I am not using the range extender ant, but you can get them for the kit I use. My house is not that big though.
You can buy car adapters that will give you 5v, places like Radio Shack etc have them for cig lighter sockets in cars, for portable CD players, hand held games. I took off the plug and hard wired it to an always available 12v supply, with fuse and switch in line. I only have it live ( switch on ) when engine not running, just to be on safe side.

You can buy car adapters that will give you 5v, places like Radio Shack etc have them for cig lighter sockets in cars, for portable CD players, hand held
games.

Beware of what you're buying though! Some of these adapters are nothing more than a
number of diodes in series, each dropping about .7V. Definately not a source of clean power...

/Michael

Am happy to heard detals of a way of doing a "clean" 5v, however I think my 12v source is pretty clean without the engine running and tollerances in diodes are not that bad are they ?

As the exact voltage will be depending on the load then you might get away with it.
You'll probably need to switch off the power to it as you start the car (preferably prior to cranking the starter)

Different stuff differ in sensitivity on variances on supply voltage...

/Michael